TEXAS TECH: Kingsbury in Midland to tout recruiting class

Published 3:30 pm, Monday, February 10, 2014

Texas Tech football coach Kliff Kingsbury talks to the media Monday before a recruiting review fundraiser at the Horseshoe. Tim Fischer\Reporter-Telegram

Texas Tech football coach Kliff Kingsbury talks to the media Monday before a recruiting review fundraiser at the Horseshoe. Tim Fischer\Reporter-Telegram

Photo: Tim Fischer

TEXAS TECH: Kingsbury in Midland to tout recruiting class

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Looking like a movie star as always, Texas Tech football coach Kliff Kinsgbury wanted to highlight his latest recruiting class as the main attraction during a Red Raider Club Recruiting Review that attracted a record 1,000 fans on a cold and blustery Monday afternoon at the Horseshoe Arena.

Unlike last year at this time, the 34-year old Kingsbury and the Red Raider coaching staff had a year to build relationships with players and coaches and they hope that time paid off with a 25-member class that hopefully fills some immediate needs.

“We’re excited about this class,” said Kingsbury, whose team went 8-5 in his first year at Tech, including an upset victory over then No. 12 Arizona State in the Holiday Bowl. “Last year, you get here and you’re scrambling. We felt we got another class better and attacked the areas that we needed the most.

“All of them have a chance to compete. That’s what we wanted to have this year, we wanted to have competition. Last year we had some positions where the guys who played was because that’s all we had. We never want to have that again. Competition raises the level of your entire team. That’s what we want to do.”

The biggest areas of need Kinsgbury and his staff wanted to address going into the recruiting process was offensive and defensive lines, along with defensive back, particularly at safety.

Kingsbury said he believes that his staff accomplished the goals they set out with four offensive line signees (two high school, two junior college players), four junior college defensive line signees and eight defensive backs, including four of which that could wind up at safety.

Kinsgbury also got the quarterback he wanted in Whitehouse product Patrick Mahomes, who was named the Texas Associated Press Sports Editors High School Football Player of the Year.

Mahomes will fill another major need as three quarterbacks, including part-time starter Baker Mayfield, announced their transfers, leaving only freshman and Holiday Bowl MVP Davis Webb as the only scholarship quarterback for spring ball.

While there is a chance that Mahomes could get drafted high enough in this summer’s Major League Baseball draft to forego college, Kingsbury said not only was it too late in the recruiting process to recruit another scholarship quarterback but added that he’s confident that Mahomes will be on campus this fall.

“We had pinpointed Patrick Mahomes as our number one prospect in the state,” Kingsbury said. “We think we’ll be in good shape with him and Davis in the fall. So that’s the guy we wanted and we stuck with him.”

Just in case, it has been reported that the football program will have at least three quarterbacks walk on to the program. Kingsbury confirmed that Midland Christian quarterback and three-time TAPPS Division II champion Mason McClendon will be one of those walk-ons.

“I’m familiar that he won three state championships and watched his highlight film, and he’s a good player, he’s a winner,” he said. “As far as quarterbacking goes, that’s the number one thing.”

Kingsbury also said that Midland High grad Tyler Middleton has moved over to the defensive side of the ball from offense. Middleton red-shirted last season after transferring to Tech from Navarro Junior College.

“He’s been working at corner,” Kingsbury said about Middleton. “We know what he can do on offense and he’s talented there, but as far as need goes and what we saw, we believe he can be an impact player there.”

The Red Raiders will also be making a return trip to Midland to conduct a spring practice at Grande Communications Stadium on March 29. Last year, more than 7,000 fans attended one of the few Red Raider practices open to the public at the stadium and Kingsbury said they were impressed with the reception they received.

“The atmosphere, people tailgating and it was a great crowd,” he said. “Our kids really enjoyed it and it was good for the program.”